The Crucial X9 Pro is a 2TB external SSD that is designed to be a mix between lower cost and compact size. This is a USB 3.2 Gen2 drive for a 10Gbps USB port. That is not considered fast these days, but many systems have plenty of USB 3.2 Gen2 ports so this is still a very popular class of drives. Let us get into what Crucial is offering.
At around $139, the Crucial X9 Pro 2TB costs around $40 less than the company’s faster X10 Pro. It is also around $20 less than the Samsung T7 Shield 2TB. From a performance perspective, the X10 Pro is certainly faster, but these drives are fast enough that many will opt to save a chunk of change on the lower cost drive, especially given that many systems do not have faster USB ports available.
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Crucial X9 Pro 2TB Hardware Overview
The drive itself is very small at 65 x 50 x 10 mm. This is considerably smaller than a drive like the Samsung T7 Shield and very similar to the X10 Pro. Part of the benefit is being able to mount it to an iPhone for shooting footage or simply stick in a bag or pocket.
It is also rated as drop-proof up to 7.5 feet or 2m and IP55 water and dust resistant. There is also a little lanyard eye so you can attach it by stringing through the hole.
On the bottom we get the label. Something small, but nice, is that this says X9 Pro and 2TB. Some other SSDs make it hard to see the capacity except for fine print.
Connectivity is USB 3.2 Gen2 in a Type-C port.
Something a bit different is that the top seems ot be aluminum while bottom is a rubber material. Since the drive is so small, that helps with gripping the drive and also just ensuring that it does not fly off a desk.
In the box, we also got a short Type-C to Type-C cable which is always useful.
Next, let us get to performance.
